What is it called when you can only focus on one thing at a time?
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We have all multitasked before, and at some point even experienced that amazing feeling after accomplishing so many thing on our task list! Sadly, studies show that we’re better off to focus on one thing at a time. Show
Sure, multitasking may make you feel more productive, but the truth is you’re actually counterproductive AND you may be harming your brain! Multitasking isn’t a legitimate disease, however, you can DEFINITELY improve your wellbeing by ditching the idea of multitasking, in favor of focusing on one thing at a time. When you focus on one thing at a time, or singletask, your brains begins to thank you. Indeed, making a small change in your multitasking lifestyle, can improve your overall health and mental state. Here are 7 reasons (and 7 great incentives) why you should only focus on one thing at a time. 1.Your Brain Can’t Multitask – It’s Impossible!When you leave too many tabs open on your computer, it begins to lag and run slower. Well, your brain does the same thing. When you multitask, you are not effectively accomplishing anything, but instead you are forcing your brain to rapidly shift attention between all your tasks. But, by focusing on one thing at a time, you are allowing the computer in your head to run a lot better and faster! 2. You’ll Improve Your MemoryYou have a little thing called, working memory, which remembers things like where you last put the TV remote, and that you need bread and milk at the grocery store. When you are doing more than one task, your working memory can’t absorb the flood information all at once. By focusing on one thing, your brain absorbs the information and stores it for later. This way, the next time you throw your keys down somewhere, you’ll remember where they are! 3. Organically Enhance Your MindfulnessYour attention should be treated like a muscle, and like a muscle, you need to train it to become stronger. Allowing your attention muscle to focus on one thing, the longer you will be able to support your focus. If you continue to successfully singletask, your mindfulness will increase organically and all those distractions will inevitably decrease too! 4. Become More Efficient With Your ProductivityBeing productive with your work requires your energy, focus, and time. Surprisingly, you would think that multitasking would get more done in less time, but it actually does the opposite. It takes way more time to multitask than it would if you focused on one task at a time. Additionally, by focusing on one thing at a time allows you to think clearly, think creatively, become more solution-oriented, and become more pensive overall with your task. Allowing yourself to value one task at a time, results in meaningful productivity. 5. Improve Your Mental HealthDoing way too many things at once is stressful and overwhelming. When there is a constant disruption between tasks, it elevates your stress receptors. This can lead to chronic stress and eventually memory loss. Even, when you unknowingly multitask, like watching TV while you are cooking, it’s also linked to an increase in anxiety and even depression. By limiting or dismissing multiple tasks, you inevitably increase your mental health. 6. Experience Healthier RelationshipsWe live in a time where connectivity is a part of our modern lives. We are able to connect with people via technology easier and faster than ever before in history. Unfortunately, this can be harmful to your relationships – personal and professional. Successes within your relationships require your effort, your attention, and your connection. Suffice it say, multitasking disrupts this. 7. Strengthen Your Dedication and DisciplineWhen you’re single-tasking, you are committing your time and efforts to one task. Sequentially, you are practicing your self-discipline and self-dedication. Distractions, like your favorite guilty pleasures, won’t feel like distractions anymore. The more your singletask, the more you build up your dedication and discipline for all areas of your life. By following this list, you can help improve the quality of your lifestyle and your health. Next time you try to be “productive” by doing too many things at once, do yourself a favor, and think again! Focus on one thing at a time. Hyperfocus Written by Stephanie Langmaid Medically Reviewed by Smitha Bhandari, MD on August 25, 2022 Articles On Is It ADHD or Something Else?
Hyperfocus is highly focused attention that lasts a long time. You concentrate on something so hard that you lose track of everything else going on around you. Doctors often see hyperfocus in people who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but it’s not an official symptom. There’s not a lot of research into hyperfocus. One study looked at brain activity in people who were concentrating very hard. It found differences that could mean hyperfocus comes more naturally to people who have ADHD. People with ADHD aren’t the only ones who have hyperfocus. Just about anyone can get lost in something that interests them. A psychologist in the early 1990s came up with a concept called flow. It’s when you become fully engaged in a challenging activity you enjoy. You shut out the rest of the world and even lose track of time. People with ADHD have trouble breaking out of it and switching their attention to something else. Screen time seems to be a particularly easy way for someone to slip into hyperfocus. Video games, television, or social media can take up hours. Hyperfocus CausesChanges in your frontal lobe, the part of your brain that controls your sense of reward, can lead to hyperfocus. You may find a certain task so rewarding that it’s hard to move on to something else. Another cause could be related to behavior. You may have trouble controlling how much attention you pay to something. What Hyperfocus Looks likeHyperfocus in children Children who are hyperfocused could be so busy playing a video game or watching TV that they don’t hear someone calling their name repeatedly. Or they could lose themselves in homework for a subject that they really enjoy. Hyperfocus in adults In adults, someone who’s hyperfocused might get caught up in work or tasks around the home. You forget to eat or miss an important meeting. Benefits of HyperfocusHyperfocus can be used for good. It’s clear that if you have a project that needs your all, that you’re really interested in, or both, you can dig in and work until it’s done. No one’s going to mind if you spend hours solving math problems or painting the house. But hyperfocus can cause conflicts with other people and problems at school or work. It also can make it harder to diagnose ADHD, especially in kids considered gifted. They do better in school because their high IQs help them get past the issues with learning that usually go along with the disorder, and their ability to hyperfocus can make it even harder to spot. SOURCES: Child Mind Institute: “Hyperfocus: The Flip Side of ADHD?” Sklar, R. Hyperfocus in adult ADHD: An EEG study of the differences in cortical activity in resting and arousal states,” University of Johannesburg, 2013. |
